Durham student transit pass hikes unconscionable

Oshawa This Week

Public and Catholic high school students were figuratively thrown under the bus this week by Durham Region councillors with their shocking move to approve a 49.5-per cent transit pass increase effective in September.

It's extremely difficult to understand the rush and reasoning behind this week's decision. It's also difficult to understand how sharply reduced ridership on Durham Region Transit will benefit the service or Durham's taxpayers, not to mention the costly undertaking by Durham's Catholic school board to find alternate transportation for its thousands of students, or the significant additional costs to the parents of public school students, who do not have transit subsidized by their school board.

What sort of reasoning or thoughtful reflection could lead to councillors and DRT officials supporting such a huge increase? What reasonable person would support a move that would have an immediate and negative impact on thousands of household budgets, many of which are already struggling with finances in this uncertain economic climate?

High school students number more than 30,000 in Durham. The vast majority of those require transit, and pay for it either through their school board, or from family budgets. For Durham councillors to approve such a significant increase, without any apparent consideration for the effect on real families, is unconscionable.

What is a public transit service, funded by taxpayers, if it can't or won't provide for 25 per cent of its ridership and is willing to forego $3.5 million in annual revenue? What sort of rationale is behind the DRT notion that, well, we'll actively promote reduction in our ridership by one-quarter, but we'll save money because fewer buses will be needed?

There is something wrong with this picture, not least of which is the fact that some have seem to forgotten that public transit exists to serve the widest possible ridership. Surely councillors can take a sober second look at the impact of this decision and reconsider.

If fare increases are required, it is only fair and reasonable to introduce them incrementally. For public school parents, it would provide some wiggle room to work the additional costs into family expenses. It would provide some flexibility and wiggle room for Catholic board officials to approach the provincial government for additional funds. It would provide a period of adjustment while still promoting greater ridership.

Contact your councillor, send a letter to your trustee and let DRT executives know this huge hike (49.5 per cent) is unfair, arbitrary and counterproductive to growing a strong transit service in Durham Region.

It's time to revisit, reconsider and review this decision in the interests of taxpayers, not to mention good governance.
-- Metroland Media Group Ltd., Durham Region Division